Alexei Archipowitsch Leonow was a Soviet cosmonaut who is best known for being the first human to conduct a spacewalk. Born in 1934 in Siberia, Leonow graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute and joined the Soviet Air Force, where he quickly distinguished himself as a skilled pilot.
In 1960, Leonow was selected to join the Soviet space program, and in 1965 he was chosen to be the first cosmonaut to conduct a spacewalk. On March 18, 1965, Leonow stepped out of the Voskhod 2 spacecraft and into the vacuum of space, becoming the first human to do so. The spacewalk lasted for 12 minutes, and Leonow struggled to maintain his orientation and control his movements in the weightless environment. Despite these challenges, he successfully completed the mission and returned to Earth safely.